When Nicki Minaj took the stage in New York City earlier this week, she seized the opportunity to honor the female rapper that has influenced her the most.
Young Money’s first lady appeared alongside veteran female rapper Foxy Brown, calling her “one of my biggest influences in the game.”
Brown joined Minaj onstage at the Tuesday night concert that was free for fans who missed out on her cancelled Hot 97 Summer Jam 2012 performance.
“I really wanna thank you for being one of my biggest influences in the game,” Minaj said to Brown onstage.
In an interview with MTV News, Minaj said that she never really knew how Foxy Brown felt about her, but glad she was finally able to tell her how much of an influence she has been.
“I never really told Foxy how much she has influenced me and how much she changed my life, and you’ve gotta tell people that when they’re alive to even be able to take the compliment, instead of paying tribute to them when they’re no longer here,” Minaj said.
She told MTV she was glad she was finally able to come out and tell Foxy, “You were the most influential female rapper to me.”
Nicki Minaj has been accused of not paying homage to female rappers who came before her. In an ongoing feud with Lil’ Kim, she has been accused of stealing her style and not showing enough respect to her New-York-based predecessor. Some may interpret her acknowledgment of Foxy as yet another not-so-subtle slight towards Kim, especially considering the longstanding beef between Kim and Foxy.
Follow Melissa Noel on Twitter at @noelknowswell.